1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and a method for editing and viewing widely spaced data in very wide data processing files.
2. Description of Related Art
Electronic computers can store files to be displayed with a number of vertical columns and a number of horizontal rows of data. The widths can be extremely wide. However, the tradition for computer screens is for there to be eighty vertical columns or a little wider, which correlates with the eighty vertical columns of a standard data processing punch card.
The problem addressed by this invention relates to the fact that when a large number of columns are side by side in a computer file being viewed with an Editor or a Viewing program they cannot be easily correlated without extensive effort by the user. Each user currently needs to do side to side scrolls when editing very wide electronic files to correlate the data they wish to review at a given moment. This problem is typical of very wide files, such as in the
Dauerer and Kelley "Front End for File Access Control System," abandoned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07-754,923, filed Sep. 4, 1991,
Dauerer and Kelley, "The RACF Front End Extension" copending U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,576 issued Nov. 21, 1995, which supports the Dauerer and Kelley, "Database System for Intersite Line Comparison" U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,833 issued Dec. 12. 1995.
Files that are used for on-line editing or viewing by a user have traditionally been limited to a width of 80 columns or a little wider. Even though most operating systems have the capability (given enough time and manipulation) to display very wide files, up to 65,335 bytes as is the case with the IBM VM operating system, practical usage of this capability has not been possible.
The reason that wide files are not used is that they present two extremely difficult problems. The first is that wide files require the user to contend with two more dimensions in order to view or manipulate a file. For example, a narrow file, one that fits the standard screen width size of 80 columns, requires only two controls to scroll through the file, up and down. A wide file, on the other hand, requires an additional left control and an additional right control. The second problem is that when viewing or editing a file, one needs (or would prefer) to have certain related information displayed on the screen, all at once, in order to make sense out of what is being observed. One might need to have data in columns 1-8, 345-367, and 1120-1128 on the screen simultaneously, but that is impossible to do without reformatting the files. Users would sooner reformat and process multiple files than jockey back and forth from left to right and back to the left, from one end of one row of a wide file to another end of the same row in the wide file, but that is expensive and/or very time consuming.
An object of this invention is to aid users to view or manipulate wide data processing files without having to reformat those files.
Another object of this invention is to eliminate or greatly reduce the need for users to do side to side scrolls when editing very wide electronic files to read data spaced apart by several columns beyond the field of view of a single screen.
A further object of this invention is to aid users to manipulate wide files in a way which presents columns of information in the positions desired regardless of the positions of the columns in the stored data base.
In accordance with this invention, a data processing system comprising a central processing unit, a random access storage device and a terminal with a display screen capable of displaying a predetermined number of columns at one time,
a) means for storing data in the random access storage device having a number of columns greater than the number that can be displayed at one time by the display screen, PA1 b) means for retrieving data from the storage device into the processing unit, and PA1 c) means for managing the display of the columns of data including interactive means at the terminal for selecting sequences of columns of data to be juxtaposed on the screen. PA1 a) displaying a window of all of the available views for the file being viewed, PA1 b) responds to the selection the view of the file to be displayed, and PA1 c) displays the selected view of the file. PA1 a) gets a file, PA1 b) opens the file, PA1 c) displays the file, PA1 d displays a window of all of the available views for the file being viewed, PA1 e) responds to the selection of the view of the file to be displayed, and PA1 f) displays the selected view of the file.
Further in accordance with this invention the interactive means comprises actuation of predetermined functional elements on the terminal.
Still further in accordance with this invention the data processing system provides selection of the list by the steps as follows:
Preferably the selected view of the file is in the edit mode to be edited.
In another aspect of this invention, the data processing system performs the steps as follows: